Lost Motion Valve Actuation Systems with Locking Elements Including Wedge Locking Elements

ABSTRACT

A system for actuating one or more engine valves comprises a lost motion assembly including locking elements to selectively lock and unlock a locking mechanism disposed within a valve train such that motions may be likewise selectively applied to, or prevented from being applied to, one or more engine valves. In an embodiment, the locking elements comprise wedges having at least one wedge inclined surface defined according to a cone frustum and configured to engage an outer recess formed in a housing, the outer recess comprising an outer recess inclined surface also defined according to the cone frustum. The device may comprise a locking mechanism disposed within a housing bore in the housing and a snubber also disposed in the housing bore. Furthermore, the outer recess may be configured to permit movement of the locking element along a longitudinal axis of the housing bore.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The instant application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/192,330 filed Jul. 27, 2011 and entitled“Combined Engine Braking And Positive Power Engine Lost Motion ValveActuation System,” which prior application claims priority to U.S.Patent Application Ser. No. 61/368,248, filed Jul. 27, 2010 and entitled“Combined Engine Braking And Positive Power Engine Lost Motion ValveActuation System,” the teachings of which applications are incorporatedherein by this reference.

FIELD

The instant disclosure relates generally to systems and methods foractuating one or more engine valves in an internal combustion engine. Inparticular, embodiments of the instant disclosure relate to systems andmethods for valve actuation using a lost motion system.

BACKGROUND

Valve actuation in an internal combustion engine is required in orderfor the engine to produce positive power, and may also be used toproduce auxiliary valve events. During positive power, intake valves maybe opened to admit fuel and air into a cylinder for combustion. One ormore exhaust valves may be opened to allow combustion gas to escape fromthe cylinder. Intake, exhaust, and/or auxiliary valves may also beopened during positive power at various times for exhaust gasrecirculation (EGR) for improved emissions.

Engine valve actuation also may be used to produce engine braking andbrake gas recirculation (BGR) when the engine is not being used toproduce positive power. During engine braking, one or more exhaustvalves may be selectively opened to convert, at least temporarily, theengine into an air compressor. In doing so, the engine developsretarding horsepower to help slow the vehicle down. This can provide theoperator with increased control over the vehicle and substantiallyreduce wear on the service brakes of the vehicle.

Engine valve(s) may be actuated to produce compression-release brakingand/or bleeder braking. The operation of a compression-release typeengine brake, or retarder, is well known. As a piston travels upwardduring its compression stroke, the gases that are trapped in thecylinder are compressed. The compressed gases oppose the upward motionof the piston. During engine braking operation, as the piston approachesthe top dead center (TDC), at least one exhaust valve is opened torelease the compressed gases in the cylinder to the exhaust manifold,preventing the energy stored in the compressed gases from being returnedto the engine on the subsequent expansion down-stroke. In doing so, theengine develops retarding power to help slow the vehicle down. Anexample of a prior art compression release engine brake is provided bythe disclosure of Cummins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,392, which isincorporated herein by reference.

The operation of a bleeder type engine brake has also long been known.During engine braking, in addition to the normal exhaust valve lift, theexhaust valve(s) may be held slightly open continuously throughout theremaining engine cycle (full-cycle bleeder brake) or during a portion ofthe cycle (partial-cycle bleeder brake). The primary difference betweena partial-cycle bleeder brake and a full-cycle bleeder brake is that theformer does not have exhaust valve lift during most of the intakestroke. An example of a system and method utilizing a bleeder typeengine brake is provided by the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,996,which is incorporated herein by reference.

The basic principles of brake gas recirculation (BGR) are also wellknown. During engine braking the engine exhausts gas from the enginecylinder to the exhaust manifold at a pressure greater than that of theintake manifold. BGR operation allows a portion of these exhaust gasesto flow back into the engine cylinder during the intake and/or expansionstrokes of the cylinder piston. In particular, BGR may be achieved byopening an exhaust valve when the engine cylinder piston is near bottomdead center position at the end of the intake and/or expansion strokes.This recirculation of gases into the engine cylinder may be used duringengine braking cycles to provide significant benefits.

In many internal combustion engines, the engine intake and exhaustvalves may be opened and closed by fixed profile cams, and morespecifically by one or more fixed lobes or bumps which may be anintegral part of each of the cams. Benefits such as increasedperformance, improved fuel economy, lower emissions, and better vehicledrivability may be obtained if the intake and exhaust valve timing andlift can be varied. The use of fixed profile cams, however, can make itdifficult to adjust the timings and/or amounts of engine valve lift tooptimize them for various engine operating conditions.

One method of adjusting valve timing and lift, given a fixed camprofile, has been to provide a “lost motion” device in the valve trainlinkage between the valve and the cam. Lost motion is the term appliedto a class of technical solutions for modifying the valve motionproscribed by a cam profile with a variable length mechanical,hydraulic, or other linkage assembly. In a lost motion system, a camlobe may provide the “maximum” (longest dwell and greatest lift) motionneeded over a full range of engine operating conditions. A variablelength system may then be included in the valve train linkage,intermediate of the valve to be opened and the cam providing the maximummotion, to subtract or lose part or all of the motion imparted by thecam to the valve.

Some lost motion systems may operate at high speed and be capable ofvarying the opening and/or closing times of an engine valve from enginecycle to engine cycle. Such systems are referred to herein as variablevalve actuation (VVA) systems. VVA systems may be hydraulic lost motionsystems or electromagnetic systems. An example of a known VVA system isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,824, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

Engine valve timing may also be varied using cam phase shifting. Camphase shifters vary the time at which a cam lobe actuates a valve trainelement, such as a rocker arm, relative to the crank angle of theengine. An example of a known cam phase shifting system is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,934,263, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Cost, packaging, and size are factors that may often determine thedesirableness of an engine valve actuation system. Additional systemsthat may be added to existing engines are often cost-prohibitive and mayhave additional space requirements due to their bulky size. Pre-existingengine brake systems may avoid high cost or additional packaging, butthe size of these systems and the number of additional components mayoften result in lower reliability and difficulties with size. It is thusoften desirable to provide an integral engine valve actuation systemthat may be low cost, provide high performance and reliability, and yetnot provide space or packaging challenges.

Embodiments of the systems and methods of the instant disclosure may beparticularly useful in engines requiring valve actuation for positivepower, engine braking valve events and/or BGR valve events. Some, butnot necessarily all, embodiments of the instant disclosure may provide asystem and method for selectively actuating engine valves utilizing alost motion system alone and/or in combination with cam phase shiftingsystems, secondary lost motion systems, and variable valve actuationsystems. Some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the instantdisclosure may provide improved engine performance and efficiency duringengine braking operation. Additional advantages of embodiments of theinstant disclosure are set forth, in part, in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in theart from the description and/or from the practice of teachings describedherein.

SUMMARY

Responsive to the foregoing challenges, Applicants have variousembodiments of a system for actuating one or more engine valvescomprising a lost motion assembly including locking elements toselectively lock and unlock a locking mechanism in a device disposedwithin a valve train such that motions may be likewise selectivelyapplied to, or prevented from being applied to, one or more enginevalves. In an embodiment, the locking elements comprise wedges having atleast one wedge inclined surface defined according to a cone frustum andconfigured to engage an outer recess formed in a housing, the outerrecess comprising an outer recess inclined surface also definedaccording to the cone frustum. In an implementation, the lockingmechanism is hydraulically actuated.

In another embodiment, the device comprises an housing, a lockingmechanism disposed within an housing bore in the housing and a snubberalso disposed in the housing bore.

In yet another embodiment, the outer recess is configured to permitmovement of the locking element along a longitudinal axis of the housingbore when the locking element is engaged with the outer recess.According to this embodiment, a vertical height (i.e., a dimension alongthe longitudinal axis) of the outer recess may be greater than avertical height of the locking element, and may further be in a range ofless than twice the vertical height of the locking element or evengreater than twice the vertical height of the locking element.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only,and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to assist the understanding of this invention, reference willnow be made to the appended drawings, in which like reference charactersrefer to like elements.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a valve actuation system configured inaccordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram in cross section of a main rocker arm andlocking valve bridge configured in accordance with the first embodimentof the instant disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram in cross section of an engine brakingrocker arm configured in accordance with the first embodiment of theinstant disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an alternative engine braking valveactuation means in accordance with an alternative embodiment of theinstant disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating exhaust and intake valve actuationsduring a two-cycle engine braking mode of operation provided byembodiments of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the exhaust valve actuations during atwo-cycle engine braking mode of operation provided by embodiments ofthe instant disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the exhaust valve actuation during afailure mode of operation provided by embodiments of the instantdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating exhaust and intake valve actuationsduring a two-cycle engine braking mode of operation provided byembodiments of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating exhaust and intake valve actuationsduring a two-cycle compression release and partial bleeder enginebraking mode of operation provided by embodiments of the instantdisclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram in cross section of a decoupling enginevalve bridge or engine braking valve actuation means in a lockedposition in accordance with a second alternative embodiment of theinstant disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram in cross section of a decoupling enginevalve bridge or engine braking valve actuation means in an unlockedposition in accordance with the second alternative embodiment of theinstant disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a first pictorial view of a wedge locking element used in thesecond alternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a second pictorial view of a wedge locking element used inthe second alternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates side and bottom views of a wedge locking element inaccordance with the instant disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates a side view of an alternative wedge locking elementin accordance with the instant disclosure.

FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate an housing having an outer recess inaccordance with the instant disclosure.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged schematic diagram in cross section of the wedgelocking element used in the second alternative embodiment of the instantdisclosure.

FIG. 19 is a pictorial view of selected elements of the secondalternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a pictorial view in partial cut-away illustrating a thirdalternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIGS. 21 and 22 are schematic diagrams in cross section of the lostmotion system shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram in cross section illustrating a fourthalternative embodiment of the instant disclosure, as provided in rockerarm.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram in cross section illustrating the lostmotion system shown in FIG. 23 as mounted on a push-tube.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram in cross section illustrating a fifthalternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram in cross section illustrating a sixthalternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram in cross section illustrating a seventhalternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram in cross section illustrating an eighthalternative embodiment of the instant disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the systems andmethods of the instant disclosure, examples of which are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the instant disclosure includesystems and methods of actuating one or more engine valves.

A first embodiment of the instant disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 as valveactuation system 10. The valve actuation system 10 may include a mainexhaust rocker arm 200, means for actuating an exhaust valve to provideengine braking 100, a main intake rocker arm 400, and a means foractuating an intake valve to provide engine braking 300. In a preferredembodiment, shown in FIG. 1, the means for actuating an exhaust valve toprovide engine braking 100 is an engine braking exhaust rocker arm,referred to by the same reference numeral, and the means for actuatingan intake valve to provide engine braking 300 is an engine brakingintake rocker arm, referred to by the same reference numeral. The rockerarms 100, 200, 300 and 400 may pivot on one or more rocker shafts 500which include one or more passages 510 and 520 for providing hydraulicfluid to one or more of the rocker arms.

The main exhaust rocker arm 200 may include a distal end 230 thatcontacts a center portion of an exhaust valve bridge 600 and the mainintake rocker arm 400 may include a distal end 420 that contacts acenter portion of an intake valve bridge 700. The engine braking exhaustrocker arm 100 may include a distal end 120 that contacts a sliding pin650 provided in the exhaust valve bridge 600 and the engine brakingintake rocker arm 300 may include a distal end 320 that contacts asliding pin 750 provided in the intake valve bridge 700. The exhaustvalve bridge 600 may be used to actuate two exhaust valve assemblies 800and the intake valve bridge 700 may be used to actuate two intake valveassemblies 900. Each of the rocker arms 100, 200, 300 and 400 mayinclude ends opposite their respective distal ends which include meansfor contacting a cam or push tube. Such means may comprise a cam roller,for example.

The cams (described below) that actuate the rocker arms 100, 200, 300and 400 may each include a base circle portion and one or more bumps orlobes for providing a pivoting motion to the rocker arms. Preferably,the main exhaust rocker arm 200 is driven by a cam which includes a mainexhaust bump which may selectively open the exhaust valves during anexhaust stroke for an engine cylinder, and the main intake rocker arm400 is driven by a cam which includes a main intake bump which mayselectively open the intake valves during an intake stroke for theengine cylinder.

FIG. 2 illustrates the components of the main exhaust rocker arm 200 andmain intake rocker arm 400, as well as the exhaust valve bridge 600 andintake valve bridge 700 in cross section. Reference will be made to themain exhaust rocker arm 200 and exhaust valve bridge 600 because it isappreciated the main intake rocker arm 400 and the intake valve bridge700 may have the same design and therefore need not be describedseparately.

With reference to FIG. 2, the main exhaust rocker arm 200 may bepivotally mounted on a rocker shaft 210 such that the rocker arm isadapted to rotate about the rocker shaft 210. A motion follower 220 maybe disposed at one end of the main exhaust rocker arm 200 and may act asthe contact point between the rocker arm and the cam 260 to facilitatelow friction interaction between the elements. The cam 260 may include asingle main exhaust bump 262, or for the intake side, a main intakebump. In one embodiment of the instant disclosure, the motion follower220 may comprise a roller follower 220, as shown in FIG. 2. Otherembodiments of a motion follower adapted to contact the cam 260 areconsidered well within the scope and spirit of the instant disclosure.An optional cam phase shifting system 265 may be operably connected tothe cam 260.

Hydraulic fluid may be supplied to the rocker arm 200 from a hydraulicfluid supply (not shown) under the control of a solenoid hydrauliccontrol valve (not shown). The hydraulic fluid may flow through apassage 510 formed in the rocker shaft 210 to a hydraulic passage 215formed within the rocker arm 200. The arrangement of hydraulic passagesin the rocker shaft 210 and the rocker arm 200 shown in FIG. 2 are forillustrative purposes only. Other hydraulic arrangements for supplyinghydraulic fluid through the rocker arm 200 to the exhaust valve bridge600 are considered well within the scope and spirit of the instantdisclosure.

An adjusting screw assembly may be disposed at a second end 230 of therocker arm 200. The adjusting screw assembly may comprise a screw 232extending through the rocker arm 200 which may provide for lashadjustment, and a threaded nut 234 which may lock the screw 232 inplace. A hydraulic passage 235 in communication with the rocker passage215 may be formed in the screw 232. A swivel foot 240 may be disposed atone end of the screw 232. In one embodiment of the instant disclosure,low pressure oil may be supplied to the rocker arm 200 to lubricate theswivel foot 240.

The swivel foot 240 may contact the exhaust valve bridge 600. Theexhaust valve bridge 600 may include a valve bridge body 710 having acentral opening 712 extending through the valve bridge and a sideopening 714 extending through a first end of the valve bridge. The sideopening 714 may receive a sliding pin 650 which contacts the valve stemof a first exhaust valve 810. The valve stem of a second exhaust valve820 may contact the other end of the exhaust valve bridge.

The central opening 712 of the exhaust valve bridge 600 may receive alost motion assembly including an outer plunger 720, a cap 730, an innerplunger 760, an inner plunger spring 744, an outer plunger spring 746,and one or more wedge rollers or balls 740. The outer plunger 720 mayinclude an interior bore 22 and a side opening extending through theouter plunger wall for receiving the wedge roller or ball 740. The innerplunger 760 may include one or more recesses 762 shaped to securelyreceive the one or more wedge rollers or balls 740 when the innerplunger is pushed downward. The central opening 712 of the valve bridge700 may also include one or more recesses 770 for receiving the one ormore wedge rollers or balls 740 in a manner that permits the rollers orballs to lock the outer plunger 720 and the exhaust valve bridgetogether, as shown. The outer plunger spring 746 may bias the outerplunger 720 upward in the central opening 712. The inner plunger spring744 may bias the inner plunger 760 upward in outer plunger bore 722.

Hydraulic fluid may be selectively supplied from a solenoid controlvalve, through passages 510, 215 and 235 to the outer plunger 720. Thesupply of such hydraulic fluid may displace the inner plunger 760downward against the bias of the inner plunger spring 744. When theinner plunger 760 is displaced sufficiently downward, the one or morerecesses 762 in the inner plunger may register with and receive the oneor more wedge rollers or balls 740, which in turn may decouple or unlockthe outer plunger 720 from the exhaust valve bridge body 710. As aresult, during this “unlocked” state, valve actuation motion applied bythe main exhaust rocker arm 200 to the cap 730 does not move the exhaustvalve bridge body 710 downward to actuate the exhaust valves 810 and820. Instead, this downward motion causes the outer plunger 720 to slidedownward within the central opening 712 of the exhaust valve bridge body710 against the bias of the outer plunger spring 746.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the engine braking exhaust rocker arm100 and engine braking intake rocker arm 300 may include lost motionelements such as those provided in the rocker arms illustrated in U.S.Pat. Nos. 3,809,033 and 6,422,186, which are hereby incorporated byreference. The engine braking exhaust rocker arm 100 and engine brakingintake rocker arm 300 may each have a selectively extendable actuatorpiston 132 which may take up a lash space 104 between the extendableactuator pistons and the sliding pins 650 and 750 provided in the valvebridges 600 and 700 underlying the engine braking exhaust rocker arm andengine braking intake rocker arm, respectively.

With reference to FIG. 3, the rocker arms 100 and 300 may have the sameconstituent parts and thus reference will be made to the elements of theexhaust side engine braking rocker arm 100 for ease of description.

A first end of the rocker arm 100 may include a cam lobe follower 111which contacts a cam 140. The cam 140 may have one or more bumps 142,144, 146 and 148 to provide compression release, brake gasrecirculation, exhaust gas recirculation, and/or partial bleeder valveactuation to the exhaust side engine braking rocker arm 100. Whencontacting an intake side engine braking rocker arm 300, the cam 140 mayhave one, two, or more bumps to provide one, two or more intake eventsto an intake valve. The engine braking rocker arms 100 and 300 maytransfer motion derived from cams 140 to operate at least one enginevalve each through respective sliding pins 650 and 750.

The exhaust side engine braking rocker arm 100 may be pivotally disposedon the rocker shaft 500 which includes hydraulic fluid passages 510, 520and 121. The hydraulic passage 121 may connect the hydraulic fluidpassage 520 with a port provided within the rocker arm 100. The exhaustside engine braking rocker arm 100 (and intake side engine brakingrocker arm 300) may receive hydraulic fluid through the rocker shaftpassages 520 and 121 under the control of a solenoid hydraulic controlvalve (not shown). It is contemplated that the solenoid control valvemay be located on the rocker shaft 500 or elsewhere.

The engine braking rocker arm 100 may also include a control valve 115.The control valve 115 may receive hydraulic fluid from the rocker shaftpassage 121 and is in communication with the fluid passageway 114 thatextends through the rocker arm 100 to the lost motion piston assembly113. The control valve 115 may be slidably disposed in a control valvebore and include an internal check valve which only permits hydraulicfluid flow from passage 121 to passage 114. The design and location ofthe control valve 115 may be varied without departing from the intendedscope of the instant disclosure. For example, it is contemplated that inan alternative embodiment, the control valve 115 may be rotatedapproximately 90° such that its longitudinal axis is substantiallyaligned with the longitudinal axis of the rocker shaft 500.

A second end of the engine braking rocker arm 100 may include a lashadjustment assembly 112, which includes a lash screw and a locking nut.The second end of the rocker arm 100 may also include a lost motionpiston assembly 113 below the lash adjuster assembly 112. The lostmotion piston assembly 113 may include an actuator piston 132 slidablydisposed in a bore 131 provided in the head of the rocker arm 100. Thebore 131 communicates with fluid passage 114. The actuator piston 132may be biased upward by a spring 133 to create a lash space between theactuator piston and the sliding pin 650. The design of the lost motionpiston assembly 113 may be varied without departing from the intendedscope of the instant disclosure.

Application of hydraulic fluid to the control valve 115 from the passage121 may cause the control valve to index upward against the bias of thespring above it, as shown in FIG. 3, permitting hydraulic fluid to flowto the lost motion piston assembly 113 through passage 114. The checkvalve incorporated into the control valve 115 prevents the backward flowof hydraulic fluid from passage 114 to passage 121. When hydraulic fluidpressure is applied to the actuator piston 131, it may move downwardagainst the bias of the spring 133 and take up any lash space betweenthe actuator piston and the sliding pin 650. In turn, valve actuationmotion imparted to the engine braking rocker arm 100 from the cam bumps142, 144, 146 and/or 148 may be transferred to the sliding pin 650 andthe exhaust valve 810 below it. When hydraulic pressure is reduced inthe passage 121 under the control of the solenoid control valve (notshown), the control valve 115 may collapse into its bore under theinfluence of the spring above it. Consequently, hydraulic pressure inthe passage 114 and the bore 131 may be vented past the top of thecontrol valve 115 to the outside of the rocker arm 100. In turn, thespring 133 may force the actuator piston 132 upward so that the lashspace 104 is again created between the actuator piston and the slidingpin 650. In this manner, the exhaust and intake engine braking rockerarms 100 and 300 may selectively provide valve actuation motions to thesliding pins 650 and 750, and thus, to the engine valves disposed belowthese sliding pins.

With reference to FIG. 4, in another alternative embodiment of theinstant disclosure, it is contemplated that the means for actuating anexhaust valve to provide engine braking 100, and/or the means foractuating an intake valve to provide engine braking 300 may be providedby any lost motion system, or any variable valve actuation system,including without limitation, a non-hydraulic system which includes anactuator piston 102. A lash space 104 may be provided between theactuator piston 102 and the underlying sliding pin 650/750, as describedabove. The lost motion or variable valve actuation system 100/300 may beof any type known to be capable of selectively actuating an enginevalve.

The operation of the engine braking rocker arm 100 will now bedescribed. During positive power, the solenoid hydraulic control valvewhich selectively supplies hydraulic fluid to the passage 121 is closed.As such, hydraulic fluid does not flow from the passage 121 to therocker arm 100 and hydraulic fluid is not provided to the lost motionpiston assembly 113. The lost motion piston assembly 113 remains in thecollapsed position illustrated in FIG. 3. In this position, the lashspace 104 may be maintained between the lost motion piston assembly 113and the sliding pin 650/750.

During engine braking, the solenoid hydraulic control valve may beactivated to supply hydraulic fluid to the passage 121 in the rockershaft. The presence of hydraulic fluid within fluid passage 121 causesthe control valve 115 to move upward, as shown, such that hydraulicfluid flows through the passage 114 to the lost motion piston assembly113. This causes the lost motion piston 132 to extend downward and lockinto position taking up the lash space 104 such that all movement thatthe rocker arm 100 derives from the one or more cam bumps 142, 144, 146and 148 is transferred to the sliding pin 650/750 and to the underlyingengine valve.

With reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, in a first method embodiment, thesystem 10 may be operated as follows to provide positive power andengine braking operation. During positive power operation (brake off),hydraulic fluid pressure is first decreased or eliminated in the mainexhaust rocker arm 200 and next decreased or eliminated in the mainintake rocker arm 400 before fuel is supplied to the cylinder. As aresult, the inner plungers 760 are urged into their upper most positionsby the inner plunger springs 744, causing the lower portions of theinner plungers to force the one or more wedge rollers or balls 740 intothe recesses 770 provided in the walls of the valve bridge bodies 710.This causes the outer plungers 720 and the valve bridge bodies 710 to be“locked” together, as shown in FIG. 2. In turn, the main exhaust andmain intake valve actuations that are applied through the main exhaustand main intake rocker arms 200 and 400 to the outer plungers 720 aretransferred to the valve bridge bodies 710 and, in turn the intake andexhaust engine valves are actuated for main exhaust and main intakevalve events.

During this time, decreased or no hydraulic fluid pressure is providedto the engine braking exhaust rocker arm 100 and the engine brakingintake rocker arm 300 (or the means for actuating an exhaust valve toprovide engine braking 100 and means for actuating an intake valve toprovide engine braking 300) so that the lash space 104 is maintainedbetween each said rocker arm or means and the sliding pins 650 and 750disposed below them. As a result, neither the engine braking exhaustrocker arm or means 100 nor the engine braking intake rocker arm ormeans 300 imparts any valve actuation motion to the sliding pins 650 and750 or the engine valves 810 and 910 disposed below these sliding pins.

During engine braking operation, after ceasing to supply fuel to theengine cylinder and waiting a predetermined time for the fuel to becleared from the cylinder, increased hydraulic fluid pressure isprovided to each of the rocker arms or means 100, 200, 300 and 400.Hydraulic fluid pressure is first applied to the main intake rocker arm400 and engine braking intake rocker arm or means 300, and then appliedto the main exhaust rocker arm 200 and engine braking exhaust rocker armor means 100.

Application of hydraulic fluid to the main intake rocker arm 400 andmain exhaust rocker arm 200 causes the inner plungers 760 to translatedownward so that the one or more wedge rollers or balls 740 may shiftinto the recesses 762. This permits the inner plungers 760 to “unlock”from the valve bridge bodies 710. As a result, main exhaust and intakevalve actuation that is applied to the outer plungers 720 is lostbecause the outer plungers slide into the central openings 712 againstthe bias of the springs 746. This causes the main exhaust and intakevalve events to be “lost.”

The application of hydraulic fluid to the engine braking exhaust rockerarm 100 (or means for actuating an exhaust valve to provide enginebraking 100) and the engine braking intake rocker arm 300 (or means foractuating an intake valve to provide engine braking 300) causes theactuator piston 132 in each to extend downward and take up any lashspace 104 between those rocker arms or means and the sliding pins 650and 750 disposed below them. As a result, the engine braking valveactuations applied to the engine braking exhaust rocker arm or means 100and the engine braking intake rocker arm or means 300 are transmitted tothe sliding pins 650 and 750, and the engine valves below them.

FIG. 5 illustrates the intake and exhaust valve actuations that may beprovided using a valve actuation system 10 that includes a main exhaustrocker arm 200, means for actuating an exhaust valve to provide enginebraking 100, a main intake rocker arm 400, and a means for actuating anintake valve to provide engine braking 300, operated as describeddirectly above. The main exhaust rocker arm 200 may be used to provide amain exhaust event 924, and the main intake rocker arm 400 may be usedto provide a main intake event 932 during positive power operation.

During engine braking operation, the means for actuating an exhaustvalve to provide engine braking 100 may provide a standard BGR valveevent 922, an increased lift BGR valve event 924, and two compressionrelease valve events 920. The means for actuating an intake valve toprovide engine braking 300 may provide two intake valve events 930 whichprovide additional air to the cylinder for engine braking. As a result,the system 10 may provide full two-cycle compression release enginebraking.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, in a first alternative, the system10 may provide only one or the other of the two intake valve events 930as a result of employing a variable valve actuation system to serve asthe means for actuating an intake valve to provide engine braking 300.The variable valve actuation system 300 may be used to selectivelyprovide only one or the other, or both intake valve events 930. If onlyone of such intake valve events is provided, 1.5-cycle compressionrelease engine braking results.

In another alternative, the system 10 may provide only one or the otherof the two compression release valve events 920 and/or one, two or noneof the BGR valve events 922 and 924 as a result of employing a variablevalve actuation system to serve as the means for actuating an exhaustvalve to provide engine braking 100. The variable valve actuation system100 may be used to selectively provide only one or the other, or bothcompression release valve events 920 and/or none, one or two of the BGRvalve events 922 and 924. When the system 10 is configured in this way,it may selectively provide 4-cycle or 2-cycle compression release enginebraking with or without BGR.

The significance of the inclusion of the increased lift BGR valve event922, which is provided by having a corresponding increased height camlobe bump on the cam driving the means for actuating an exhaust valve toprovide engine braking 100, is illustrated by FIGS. 6 and 7. Withreference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the height of the cam bump that producesthe increased lift BGR valve event 922 exceeds the magnitude of the lashspace provided between the means for actuating an exhaust valve toprovide engine braking 100 and the sliding pin 650. This increasedheight or lift is evident from event 922 in FIG. 6 as compared withevents 920 and 924. During reinstitution of positive power operationusing the system 10, it is possible that the exhaust valve bridge 600will fail to lock to the outer plunger 720, which would ordinarilyresult in the loss of a main exhaust event 924, which in turn couldcause severe engine damage. With reference to FIG. 7, by including theincreased lift BGR valve event 922, if the main exhaust event 924 islost due to a failure, the increased lift BGR valve event 922 willpermit exhaust gas to escape from the cylinder near in time to the timethat the normally expected main exhaust valve event 924 was supposed tooccur, and prevent engine damage that might otherwise result.

An alternative set of valve actuations, which may be achieved using oneor more of the systems 10 describe above, are illustrated by FIG. 8.With reference to FIG. 8, the system used to provide the exhaust valveactuations 920, 922 and 924 are the same as those described above, andthe manner of actuating the main exhaust rocker arm 200 and the enginebraking exhaust rocker arm 100 (FIG. 3) or means for actuating anexhaust valve to provide engine braking 100 (FIG. 4) are also the same.The main intake rocker arm 400 and manner of operating it are similarlythe same as in the previous embodiments.

With continued reference to FIG. 8, one, or the other, or both of theintake valve events 934 and/or 936 may be provided using one of threealternative arrangements. In a first alternative, the means foractuating an intake valve to provide engine braking 300, whetherprovided as rocker arm or otherwise, may be eliminated from the system10. With additional reference to FIG. 2, in place of means 300, anoptional cam phase shifting system 265 may be provided to operate on thecam 260 driving the main intake rocker arm 400. The cam phase shiftingsystem 265 may selectively modify the phase of the cam 260 with respectto the crank angle of the engine. As a result, with reference to FIGS. 2and 8, the intake valve event 934 may be produced from the main intakecam bump 262. The intake valve event 934 may be “shifted” to occur laterthan it ordinarily would occur. Specifically, the intake valve event 934may be retarded so as not to interfere with the second compressionrelease valve event 920. Intake valve event 936 may not be provided whenthe cam phase shifting system 265 is utilized, which results in1.5-cycle compression release engine braking.

Instituting compression release engine braking using a system 10 thatincludes a cam phase shifting system 265 may occur as follows. First,fuel is shut off to the engine cylinder in question and a predetermineddelay is provided to permit fuel to clear from the cylinder. Next, thecam phase shifting system 265 is activated to retard the timing of themain intake valve event. Finally, the exhaust side solenoid hydrauliccontrol valve (not shown) may be activated to supply hydraulic fluid tothe main exhaust rocker arm 200 and the means for actuating an exhaustvalve to provide engine braking 100. This may cause the exhaust valvebridge body 710 to unlock from the outer plunger 720 and disable mainexhaust valve events. Supply of hydraulic fluid to the means foractuating an exhaust valve to provide engine braking 100 may produce theengine braking exhaust valve events, including one or more compressionrelease events and one or more BGR events, as explained above. Thissequence may be reversed to transition back to positive power operationstarting from an engine braking mode of operation.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 8, in second and third alternatives, one,or the other, or both of the intake valve events 934 and/or 936 may beprovided by employing a lost motion system or a variable valve actuationsystem to serve as the means for actuating an intake valve to provideengine braking 300. A lost motion system may selectively provide bothintake valve events 934 and 936, while a variable valve actuation systemmay selectively provide one, or the other, or both intake valve events934 and 936.

Instituting compression release engine braking using a system 10 thatincludes a hydraulic lost motion system or hydraulic variable valveactuation system may occur as follows. First, fuel is shut off to theengine cylinder in question and a predetermined delay is incurred topermit fuel to clear from the cylinder. Next, the intake side solenoidhydraulic control valve may be activated to supply hydraulic fluid tothe main intake rocker arm 400 and the intake valve bridge 700. This maycause the intake valve bridge body 710 to unlock from the outer plunger720 and disable main intake valve events. Finally, the exhaust sidesolenoid hydraulic control valve may be activated to supply hydraulicfluid to the main exhaust rocker arm 200 and the means for actuating anexhaust valve to provide engine braking 100. This may cause the exhaustvalve bridge body 710 to unlock from the outer plunger 720 and disablethe main exhaust valve event. Supply of hydraulic fluid to the means foractuating an exhaust valve to provide engine braking 100 may produce thedesired engine braking exhaust valve events, including one or morecompression release valve events 920, and one or more BGR valve events922 and 924, as explained above. This sequence may be reversed totransition back to positive power operation starting from an enginebraking mode of operation.

Another alternative to the methods described above is illustrated byFIG. 9. In FIG. 9 all valve actuations shown are the same as describedabove, and may be provided using any of the systems 10 described above,with one exception. Partial bleeder exhaust valve event 926 (FIG. 9)replaces BGR valve event 922 and compression release valve event 920(FIGS. 5 and 8). This may be accomplished by including a partial bleedercam bump on the exhaust cam in place of the two cam bumps that wouldotherwise produce the BGR valve event 922 and the compression releasevalve event 920.

It is also appreciated that any of the foregoing discussed embodimentsmay be combined with the use of a variable geometry turbocharger, avariable exhaust throttle, a variable intake throttle, and/or anexternal exhaust gas recirculation system to modify the engine brakinglevel achieved using the system 10. In addition, the engine brakinglevel may be modified by grouping one or more valve actuation systems 10in an engine together to receive hydraulic fluid under the control of asingle solenoid hydraulic control valve. For example, in a six cylinderengine, three sets of two intake and/or exhaust valve actuation systems10 may be under the control of three separate solenoid hydraulic controlvalves, respectively. In such a case, variable levels of engine brakingmay be provided by selectively activating the solenoid hydraulic controlvalves to provide hydraulic fluid to the intake and/or exhaust valveactuation systems 10 to produce engine braking in two, four, or all sixengine cylinders.

The embodiments described above, particularly the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 2, concern a particular embodiment of a lockable, lost motionassembly disposed within a specific component of a valve train (i.e.,within the valve bridge 600/700) such that motion may be selectivelyapplied to one or more engine valves. In the above-describedembodiments, the lockable, lost motion assembly was disposed within aparticular form of an housing bore, specifically a central opening 712.Further embodiments of a lockable, lost motion assembly, which may bedisposed within other components of a valve train, are described below.Additionally, the embodiment described above concerns a lockable, lostmotion assembly in which locking capability is provided by a lockingelement comprising a ball. Alternative locking elements are set forth inthe various embodiments described below.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-19, a second alternative embodiment of a valvebridge 600/700 is illustrated, in which like reference characters referto like elements. It is noted that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10-19may be operated in like fashion to those illustrated in FIGS. 1-9,however, the embodiments of FIGS. 10-19 are not considered to be limitedto providing engine braking. The embodiments of FIGS. 10-19 may provideany type of engine valve actuation that benefits from inclusion of alost motion system. The embodiments of FIGS. 10-19 differ from those ofFIGS. 1-9 at least in part as a result of the use of one or morewedge-shaped locking elements, described in detail below.

With reference to FIG. 10, the valve bridge 600/700 may include a valvebridge body (or, more generally, a housing) 710 having a housing bore712 extending through the valve bridge and a side opening 714 extendingthrough a first end of the valve bridge. Generally, the housing bore 712may extend through the housing at any point along the length thereof,i.e., it is not necessary that the housing bore 712 be disposed as acentrally-positioned bore, though such centrally-positioned bores may bedesirable in many circumstances. The side opening 714 may receive asliding pin 650/750 which contacts the valve stem of a first enginevalve (shown in FIG. 2). The valve stem of a second exhaust valve (shownin FIG. 2) may contact the other end of the exhaust valve bridge.

The housing bore 712 may receive a lockable, lost motion assembly 701including, in the illustrated embodiment, an outer plunger 720, a cap730, an inner plunger 760, an inner plunger spring 744, an outer plungerspring 746, and one or more locking elements 780. The outer plungerspring 746 may bias the outer plunger 720 upward in the housing bore712. The inner plunger spring 744 may bias the inner plunger 760 upwardin the outer plunger bore. The outer plunger 720 may include openingsextending through the sidewall of the outer plunger in which one or morelocking elements 780 are disposed. The openings are of sufficient sizeto permit the locking elements 780 to freely slide back and forth (i.e.,radially) therein.

In an embodiment, the locking elements 780 may comprise wedges havingspecific features. With reference now to FIGS. 12 and 13, the wedges 780may have a substantially flat top surface 781, a flat bottom surface782, a wedge inclined surface 783, a convex outer face 784, a concaveinner face 785, and rounded side edges 786. Preferably, the flat topsurface 781 and the flat bottom surface 782 are substantially parallel(i.e., within fabrication tolerances) to each other. As described infurther detail below, the wedge 780 permits elements of the lockable,lost motion assembly 701 to be locked together (i.e., in a locked statein which the elements are generally, though not necessarily entirely,immobile relative to each other) such that motions may be transmittedthrough the lost motion assembly 701 to one or more engine valves. Assuch, the wedges 780 are required to withstand substantial forcessupplied by a motion source (e.g., cam) and transmitted by a valvetrain. The flat top 781 of each wedge 780 permits these forces to bespread out over a larger surface area, thereby lowering the pressuresexperienced by any given point on wedge 780. As a result, the wedges 780are less like to wear out or experience premature failure.

Another feature of each wedge 780 is the wedge inclined surface 783,which, as described below, cooperates with an outer recess inclinedsurface 773 formed in a surface defining the housing bore 712. In apresently preferred embodiment, the wedge inclined surface 783 isdefined according to a cone (or conic) frustum, as further illustratedin FIG. 14. In particular, FIG. 14 illustrates a side and bottom view ofthe wedge 780 illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, and further illustrateshow the wedge inclined surface 783 is defined according to a conefrustum 790 that, in turn, is defined according to a cone 791. As knownin the art, the cone frustum 790 is that volume defined by parallelplanes, R1, R2, intersecting the cone 791 perpendicular to the cone'scentral axis and separated by a distance, H. Note that the distance, H,defining the cone frustum 790 may extend up to the full thickness (orheight) of the wedge 780, in which case the convex outer face 784 couldbe reduced to an edge between the flat top surface 781 and the wedgeinclined surface 783. As shown in the side view of FIG. 14 (top), thewedge inclined surface 783 has an angle relative to the central axis ofthe cone defined by the surface of the cone. Likewise, as best shown inthe bottom view of FIG. 14 (bottom), the wedge inclined surface 783 iscurved along its entire length, which curve follows the curvature ofthat portion of the cone 791 intercepted by the width (i.e., thedistance between the side edges 786) of the wedge 780. In theillustrated embodiment, the surfaces of both the convex outer face 784and concave inner face 785 are substantially parallel (i.e., withinfabrication tolerances) to the central axis of the cone, though this isnot a requirement. The particular dimensions of the wedge 780, includingits thickness (or vertical height), width, length, wedge inclinedsurface angle, etc. may be selected as a matter of design choice.

In an alternative embodiment, each wedge 780 may be formed to includenot only the wedge inclined surface 783, but also a second wedgeinclined surface 783′, as shown in FIG. 15. In particular, the secondwedge inclined surface 783′ may be disposed on a side of the wedge 780opposite that side of the wedge upon which the first wedge inclinedsurface 783 is disposed. Thus, in the illustrated example, the firstwedge inclined surface 783 is disposed on the flat bottom surface 782and the second wedge inclined surface 783′ is disposed on the flat topsurface 781. As further shown, the second wedge inclined surface 783mirrors the first wedge inclined surface 783 relative to a plane,substantially parallel to the flat top surface 781 and flat bottomsurface 782 and bisecting the thickness (or height) of the wedgetherebetween. The embodiment of the wedge 780 illustrated in FIG. 15 isparticularly advantageous for manufacturing purposes. Because the secondwedge inclined surface 783′ is an essentially identical, mirroredreplica of the first wedge inclined surface 783, dependence uponorientation of the wedge 780 (i.e., flat top surface 781 or flat bottomsurface 782 facing upward) during manufacturing is reduced.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, an outer recess 772 isdefined in a surface 779 defining the housing bore 712. In anembodiment, the outer recess 772 is formed as an annular channel aroundthe entire circumference of the surface 779 defining the housing bore712. This annular configuration of the outer recess 772 permits theouter plunger 720 (and, consequently, the locking elements 780) torotate freely within the housing bore 712 without loss of operation ofthe locking mechanism. This also facilitates even wear along the housingbore 712 and outer recess 772. When the locking element(s) 780 areengaged with the outer recess 772 as shown, for example, in FIGS. 11 and18, the outer plunger 720 and the housing 710 are effectively lockedtogether.

With reference now to FIGS. 16 and 17, the outer recess 772 furthercomprises an outer recess inclined surface 773 that, like the wedgeinclined surface 783, is defined according to the cone 791 and conefrustum 790. Thus, the outer recess inclined surface 783 has, like thewedge inclined surface 783, substantially the same angle (i.e., withinfabrication tolerances) relative to the central axis of the cone 791defined by the surface of the cone 791. Given the illustrated alignmentof the inclined surfaces 773, 783, when the outer plunger 720 is pusheddownward, interaction of the inclined surfaces 773, 783 urges thelocking elements 780 radially inward, thereby permitting unlocking ofthe outer plunger 720 from the housing 710. Preferably, the central axisof the cone 791 substantially aligns (i.e., within fabricationtolerances) with a longitudinal axis of the housing bore 712, as shownin FIG. 17. The complementary configuration of the wedge inclinedsurface 783 and the outer recess inclined surface 773 permitssubstantially continuous engagement therebetween, which in turn allowsapplied loads to be spread out over a larger area.

As further shown in FIGS. 16-18, the outer recess 772 further comprisesa back surface or wall 774 extending substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the housing bore 712 from the terminal point of theouter recess inclined surface 773. In an embodiment, the back surface774 is located at a radial depth (relative to the surface 779 definingthe housing bore 712) at least sufficient to permit most, if not all, ofthe wedge inclined surface 783 to mate with the outer recess inclinedsurface 773. Furthermore, the back surface 774 should have a verticalheight (i.e., along the longitudinal axis of the housing bore 712)sufficient to permit movement of the locking element 780, beyondfabrication tolerances, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of thehousing bore 712 when the locking element 780 is mated with the outerrecess 772 (i.e., in a locked state). This is illustrated in FIG. 18where the vertical height of the back surface 774 is selected to providea gap 787 between an upper surface of the outer recess 772 and thelocking element 780. The gap 787 may facilitate locking of the outerplunger 720 to the housing 710 when a motion source (e.g., a cam) forvalve actuation (not shown) is not providing motion to the valve (e.g.,on base circle). When no motion is being provided to the valve, thereshould be little or no load on the locking elements 780 to prevent theirradially outward travel to engage the outer recess 772. The gap 787 ispreferably sized to at least equal (or accommodate) warm lash on theengine. Furthermore, the gap 787 may be sized to allow sufficientlongitudinal motion of the outer plunger 720 to compensate for movementof the housing 710. For example, where the housing 710 is embodied by avalve bridge, the valve bridge may tilt during braking lift, which couldcause disconnect of the housing 710 with the oil supply provided by thee-foot of the rocker arm. In this case, the longitudinal motion of thelocking member 780 is desirable to prevent such disconnection, whichcould otherwise cause oil losses and potential re-locking of the innerplunger 760.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 18, the inner plunger 760 may includean inner recess 763 shaped to securely receive the locking element(s)780 when the inner plunger 760 is pushed downward. In an embodiment, theinner recess 763 is formed as an annular channel around the entirecircumference of the inner plunger 760. Furthermore, the inner recess763 is configured to be sufficiently deep as to permit the fullrefraction of the locking member(s) 780 out of the outer recess 772. Asshown, the inner recesses 763 may have inclined surfaces that permit thelocking elements 780 to slide progressively into the inner recess 763when the inner plunger 760 is displaced downward (e.g., by hydraulicpressure). In those embodiments in which the locking elements 780 are inthe form of the wedges illustrated in FIGS. 12-15, a radius of theconcave inner face 785 of the wedge is selected to substantially conform(i.e., within fabrication tolerances) to the outer surface of the innerplunger 760 defined by the inner recess 763.

With renewed reference to FIG. 10, hydraulic fluid may be selectivelysupplied as unlocking input from a solenoid control valve, throughpassages 510, 215 and 235 (see FIG. 2) to an unlocking opening in theouter plunger 720. In the illustrated embodiment, the unlocking openingis the open end 731 of the outer plunger 720 extending out of thehousing 710. The supply of hydraulic fluid may displace the innerplunger 760 downward against the bias of the inner plunger spring 744.When the inner plunger 760 is displaced sufficiently downward, the oneor more recesses 763 in the inner plunger may register with and receivethe one or more locking elements 780, which in turn may decouple orunlock the outer plunger 720 from the housing 710, as shown in FIG. 10.As a result, during this unlocked state, valve actuation motion appliedby the main rocker arm 200 (see FIG. 2) to the cap 730 does not move thevalve bridge body 710 downward to actuate the engine valves. Instead,this downward motion causes the outer plunger 720 to slide downwardwithin the housing bore 712 of the valve bridge body 710 against thebias of the outer plunger spring 746. While the unlocking input in theillustrated example is hydraulic fluid provided through the unlockingopening, it is appreciated that the unlocking input may be provided inthe form of a mechanical input (e.g., a rod, piston, etc.), a pneumaticinput or any combination of thereof.

When it is desired to relock the outer plunger 720 to the housing 710,the unlocking input may be removed or another, locking input may beprovided. In the illustrated example, this is accomplished by decreasingor eliminating the hydraulic fluid pressure in the passages 510, 215 and235 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the inner plunger 760 is urged into itsupper most position by the inner plunger spring 744, causing the lowerportion of the inner plunger to force the one or more locking elements780 through the side openings in the outer plunger side wall (see FIG.19) into the outer recess 772 when the locking elements 780 align withthe outer recess 772. This causes the outer plunger 720 and the housing710 to be locked together, as shown in FIG. 10. In turn, the valveactuations that are applied through the rocker arm to the outer plunger720 are transferred to the housing 710 and, in turn, the engine valvesare actuated for valve events.

During this time (i.e., when the locking mechanism is in the lockedstate), decreased or no hydraulic fluid pressure is provided to therocker arm (or the means for actuating an engine valve) 100/300 thatoverlies the sliding pin 650/750 so that the lash space 104 (see FIG. 4)is maintained between this rocker arm or means and the sliding pin650/750 disposed below it. As a result, the rocker arm 100/300 does notimpart any valve actuation motion to the sliding pin 650/750 or theengine valves disposed below these sliding pins.

A third alternative embodiment of a lost motion assembly 701incorporating locking elements is illustrated in FIGS. 20-22, in whichlike reference characters refer to like elements in other embodiments.It is noted that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 20-22 may be operated inlike fashion to those illustrated in FIGS. 1-19, none of the embodimentsof which are considered to be limited to providing engine braking. Theembodiments of FIGS. 20-22 may provide any type of engine valveactuation that benefits from inclusion of a lost motion system.

With reference to FIGS. 20-22, the lost motion assembly 701 may beprovided in a rocker arm 200/400 provided on a rocker shaft 500supported by a rocker pedestal. The rocker arm 200/400 may have a swivelfoot 240 disposed at a first end for actuating one or more engine valves(not shown). The rocker arm 200/400 may include internal passages 215for receiving hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic fluid supply 213. Theinternal passages 215 may communicate with the lost motion assembly 701through side or lateral openings 218 (serving as the unlocking openingfor receiving unlocking input, as described below) provided in thehousing 216.

In this embodiment, the housing 216 may be mounted in an openingprovided in the rocker arm 200/400 above a push tube 262 (or other valvetrain element, such as a cam, etc.). A locking nut 219 may be used tosecure the housing 216 to the rocker arm. The housing 216 may having ahousing bore 712 extending vertically through the housing, and sideopenings 218 communicating with the housing bore. In this embodiment,hydraulic fluid is used as unlocking input and may be selectivelyprovided to the housing 216 through the side openings 218.

The housing bore 712 of the housing 216 may receive a lost motionassembly 701 including an outer plunger 720, an inner plunger 760, aninner plunger spring 744, an outer plunger spring 746, and one or morelocking elements 780, once again implemented as wedges. The outerplunger spring 746 may bias the outer plunger 720 downward in thehousing bore 712. The inner plunger spring 744 may bias the innerplunger 760 upward in the outer plunger bore. The outer plunger 720 mayinclude openings extending through the sidewall of the outer plunger inwhich the wedges 780 are disposed. The openings are of sufficient sizeto permit the wedges 780 to slide back and forth in them freely. In theillustrated embodiment, the wedges 780 are of the type having two,oppositely disposed wedge inclined surfaces as illustrated in FIG. 15.

As will be readily apparent through comparison of the embodiment ofFIGS. 10 and 11 with the embodiment of FIGS. 20-22, a significantdistinction is the relative configuration of the inner and outerplungers 760, 720 and their corresponding springs 744, 746. Generally,in all embodiments described herein, the outer plunger spring 746 isdeployed such that it applies a bias force to the outer plunger 720 inopposition to the valve motion source (e.g., cam, rocker arm, push tube,etc.), whereas the inner plunger spring 744 is deployed such that itapplies a bias force to the inner plunger 760 in opposition to theunlocking input (e.g., hydraulic fluid). Consequently, in the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 20-22, the outer plunger spring 744 is arrangedabove the outer plunger 720 to the extent that the valve motion sourcein this embodiment (i.e., the push tube 262) is arranged below the outerplunger 720.

As in the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, the housing 216 may include anouter recess 772 for receiving the wedges 780, as described above. Inthis embodiment, the outer recess 772 not only includes an outer recessinclined surface 773 as described above, but may also include an outerrecess upper inclined surface 775, which surfaces urge the wedges 780inward when the outer plunger 720 is pushed downward or upward on them,respectively. As before, the outer recess inclined surface 773 issufficiently large to support the high loads required to open the enginevalves serviced by the rocker arm 200/400. As shown in FIGS. 20-22, theouter plunger recesses 772 may also optionally have a vertical dimensionthat is greater than that of the wedges 780.

As described above, the inner plunger 760 may include an inner recess763 shaped to securely receive the wedges 780 when the inner plunger ispushed downward, as shown in FIG. 22. The recesses 763 may have inclinedsurfaces designed to permit the wedges 780 to slide progressively intothe recesses when the inner plunger 760 is displaced downward byhydraulic pressure applied from passages 215.

In operation, hydraulic fluid may be provided as unlocking input throughthe passage 215 in the rocker arm 200/400 to an annular region formed inthe bore in the rocker arm that receives the housing 216, which annularregion is arranged to align with the side openings 218. Thus, whenhydraulic fluid is supplied to the passage 215, it is permitted to flowthrough the side openings 218 into an interior region of the housing216, which is closed at its upper end. Consequently, the hydraulic fluidwill flow through an upper opening of the outer plunger 720 and into theouter plunger bore, thereby causing the inner plunger 760 to movedownward against the bias of the inner plunger spring 744. As describedabove, this downward movement of the inner plunger 760 permits thewedges 780 to be received in the inner recess 763 of the inner plunger760, thereby unlocking the outer plunger 760 from the housing 216 (seeFIG. 22).

An advantage of the housing 216 and lost motion assembly 701 shown inFIGS. 20-22 is that they can be manufactured as a cartridge insert forinsertion into any of a number of valve train elements, such as rockerarms (as shown) and push tubes, provided that such valve train elementsare configured to have an appropriately dimensioned opening to receivethe cartridge insert and to supply hydraulic fluid as described above.

A fourth alternative embodiment of a lost motion assembly 701incorporating wedges is illustrated in FIGS. 23 and 24, in which likereference characters refer to like elements in other embodiments. FIGS.23 and 24 differ only in the orientation of the lost motion assembly 701and the manner of mounting it in the valve train. As shown in FIGS. 23and 24, the lost motion assembly 701 in FIG. 23 is inverted relative tothe lost motion system in FIG. 24. Further, the lost motion systems inFIG. 23 is mounted within a rocker arm 200/400 while the lost motionsystem in FIG. 24 is provided at the end of a push tube 262. Theoperation and assembly of the FIGS. 23 and 24 embodiments aresufficiently alike that only one description is provided for both. It isalso noted that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 may be operatedin like fashion to those illustrated in FIGS. 1-22, none of theembodiments of which are considered to be limited to providing enginebraking. The embodiments of FIGS. 23 and 24 may provide any type ofengine valve actuation that benefits from inclusion of a lost motionsystem.

With reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, the lost motion assembly 701 may beprovided in a housing 216 mounted (as in the case of a cartridge insert)in a rocker arm 200/400 or push tube 262. Alternatively, the housing 216may be integrally formed in the body of the rocker arm 200/400 or pushtube 262. Hydraulic fluid may be selectively supplied to the lost motionassembly 701 through an opening provided in a cap 730. The embodimentsshown in FIGS. 23 and 24 differ from those shown in FIGS. 20-22 mainlyin the manner that the unlocking input (e.g., hydraulic fluid) issupplied to the systems. In FIGS. 23 and 24, hydraulic fluid is suppliedthrough the cap 730 while in FIGS. 20-22 it is supplied through sidepassages 218.

With continued reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, the housing bore 712 of thehousing 216 may receive a lost motion assembly 701 including an outerplunger 720, an inner plunger 760, an inner plunger spring 744, an outerplunger spring 746, and one or more locking elements 780, illustrated inthese embodiments as wedges similar to those illustrated in FIG. 15. Theouter plunger spring 746 may bias the outer plunger 720 downward in thehousing bore 712, as shown in FIG. 23 (or in the opposite direction asshown in FIG. 24). The inner plunger spring 744 may bias the innerplunger 760 downward in the outer plunger bore, as shown in FIG. 23 (orin the opposite direction as shown in FIG. 24). The outer plunger 720may include openings extending through the sidewall of the outer plungerin which the wedges 780 are disposed. Operation of the embodiments shownin FIGS. 23 and 24 is essentially the same as those embodiments shown inFIGS. 20-22.

A fifth alternative embodiment of a valve train component 600/700incorporating a lost motion system is illustrated in FIG. 25, in whichlike reference characters refer to like elements in other embodiments.It is noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 25 may be operated in likefashion to those illustrated in FIGS. 1-24, none of the embodiments ofwhich are considered to be limited to providing engine braking. Theembodiment of FIG. 25 may provide any type of engine valve actuationthat benefits from inclusion of a lost motion system.

The fifth alternative embodiment is essentially the same as that shownin FIGS. 10-11 except for the size and shape of the outer recess 772 andthe addition of a snubber comprising a snubber piston 830. The outerrecess 772 may be provided with a vertical dimension greater than thevertical dimension of the locking elements 780 (e.g., wedges) that theyreceive. The increased vertical dimension of the outer recess 772, ascompared with that illustrated in FIGS. 10-11, may provide a largertravel distance along the longitudinal axis of the housing bore for thewedges 780 to register with the outer recess 772. It is appreciated thatthe increased vertical dimension of the outer recess 772 may be as muchas twice, or even more than twice, the thickness (or vertical height) ofthe wedges 780 as measured along the longitudinal direction of thehousing bore. As noted above, this additional space or gap between theouter recess 772 boundaries and the wedges 780 permits the lost motionassembly to maintain contact with the unlocking input even when thehousing is moving during a locked state of the locking mechanism. As inembodiments described above, the outer recess 772 has a surface areathat engages the wedges 780 which is sufficient to support the loadingof the housing 710 for two valve opening events per engine cycle(2-cycle engine braking). It is noted that this modification of the sizeand shape of the female cone recesses 772 may be used in otherembodiments described herein.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 25, the snubber piston 830 may be cupshaped and be slidably disposed in the bottom portion of the housingbore 712 below the outer plunger 720. The snubber piston 830 may have anouter diameter that closely fits the diameter of the bottom portion ofthe housing bore 712 so as to permit a hydraulic seal to be formedbetween the two. A spring 834 may bias the snubber piston 830 towardsthe outer plunger 720.

The snubber piston 830 may have one or more side passages 832 whichselectively permit hydraulic fluid to flow between the interior of thesnubber piston 830 and the housing bore 712. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 25, two side passages 832 are shown to be vertically separated. Thespring 834 may bias the snubber piston 830 sufficiently upwards towardsthe outer plunger 720 such that the lowest most side passage is above ashoulder 748 formed in the housing bore 712 and in hydrauliccommunication with the housing bore 712 when the snubber piston 830 isin its upper most position (as shown).

During operation of the system illustrated in FIG. 25, hydraulic fluidmay be provided to displace the inner plunger 760 downward, as describedabove, to unlock the outer plunger 720 from the housing 710. As a resultthe outer plunger 720 may descend rapidly into the housing bore 712until it encounters the snubber piston 830. As the outer plunger 720descends, clearance between the outer plunger 720 and housing 710, i.e.,leakage passages, permits some hydraulic fluid within the housing bore712 to escape. Additionally, prior to encountering the snubber piston830 the hydraulic fluid displaced by the downward movement of the outerplunger 720 passes through the one or more side openings 832 into theinterior of the snubber piston 830. Once the outer plunger 720 contactsthe snubber piston 830, the continued downward motion of the outerplunger 720 may be progressively arrested by the snubber piston 830 as aresult of being displaced downward by the outer plunger. Morespecifically, the location and/or size of the one or more side passages832 in the snubber piston 830 may be provided such that hydrauliccommunication between the interior of the snubber piston 830 and thehousing bore 712 of the interior of the valve bridge body 710 isselectively, and in some instances progressively, cut off by theshoulder 748 provided on the interior wall of the valve bridge body 710.As a result of the relative incompressibility of the hydraulic fluidtrapped between the snubber piston 830 and the housing 710, the snubberpiston 830 may cushion the downward movement of the outer plunger 720relative to the housing 710 when the two are unlocked from each other,as described in connection with the embodiments illustrated by FIGS.1-24. When the outer plunger 720 moves away from the snubber piston 830(i.e., per the bias applied by the outer plunger spring 746 when motionis not applied to the lost motion assembly), expansion of the volumebetween the outer plunger 720 and the snubber piston 830 may tend todraw the hydraulic fluid out of the cavity between the snubber piston830 and the housing 710, which hydraulic fluid is then available forfurther transfer back into and out of the snubber piston 830 forsubsequent events.

A sixth alternative embodiment of a valve train component 600/700incorporating a lost motion system is illustrated in FIG. 26 in whichlike reference characters refer to like elements in other embodiments.The embodiment shown in FIG. 26 differs from that shown in FIG. 21mainly with respect to the design of the snubber. In FIG. 26, the outerplunger 720 may include one or more side passages 721 which permithydraulic fluid to flow between the interior of the outer plunger 720and the housing bore 712. As before, the inner plunger spring 744 may beprovided in the interior of the outer plunger 720 to bias the innerplunger 760 upward into a position that results in the locking elements780 engaging the outer recess 772, as shown in FIG. 26.

The outer plunger 720 may further include a lower annulus 723 whichreceives a lock ring 724 used to connect a snubber piston 840 to thebottom of the outer plunger 720. The lower annulus 723 may be sized soas to permit some vertical movement of the snubber piston 840 relativeto the outer plunger 720 while at the same time limiting the extent ofsuch movement.

The snubber piston 840 may be biased away from the outer plunger 720 bysprings 844 and 848. The spring 848 may extend from a shoulder formed ata mid-section of the outer plunger 720 to an upper edge of the snubberpiston 840. It is appreciated that the upper edge of the snubber piston840 may include a recess, shoulder, or other structure which receivesthe spring 848 and keeps it engaged against the snubber piston upperedge. The spring 844 may also bias a check valve 846 into a closedposition against a seat formed by an opening 842 provided in the bottomof the snubber piston 840.

During operation of the system illustrated in FIG. 26, an unlockinginput (e.g., hydraulic fluid) may be provided to displace the innerplunger 760 downward, as described above, to unlock the outer plunger720 from the housing 710. The descent of the inner plunger 760 into theinterior of the outer plunger 720 may cause some hydraulic fluid to bedisplaced from the interior of the outer plunger through the sideopening 721 and into the housing bore 712. At the same time, the outerplunger 720 may descend rapidly into the housing bore 712 toward thebottom end wall of the housing 710. As a result of the movement of theouter plunger 720 and the inner plunger 760, hydraulic fluid may beforced through the opening 842 in the snubber piston 840, as well as outof the housing 710 through leakage passages. Due to the presence of thecheck valve 846, the interior of the snubber piston 840 may fill withhydraulic fluid. The pressurization of the snubber piston 840 interiormay cause the snubber piston 840 to assume its maximum downwarddisplacement relative to the outer plunger 720, as shown in FIG. 26

The outer plunger 720 may then carry the snubber piston 840 downwarduntil the snubber piston contacts the bottom end wall of the housing710. The downward motion of the outer plunger 720 may be progressivelyarrested by the snubber piston 840 as a result of the snubber pistonbeing pushed upward by the housing 710 end wall. More specifically, theupward movement of the snubber piston causes the hydraulic fluid withinit to be displaced through a small gap in diameters between the snubberpiston 840 and the outer plunger 720. The size of the gap between thesnubber piston 840 and the outer plunger 720 throttles fluid flow andarrests the downward movement of the outer plunger progressively. As aresult, the snubber piston 840 may cushion the downward movement of theouter plunger 720 relative to the housing 710 when the two are unlockedfrom each other, as described in connection with the embodimentsillustrated by FIGS. 1-24.

A seventh alternative embodiment of a valve train component 600/700incorporating a lost motion system is illustrated in FIG. 27 in whichlike reference characters refer to like elements in other embodiments.The embodiment shown in FIG. 27 differs from that shown in FIG. 25 inthe following manner. In FIG. 27, the outer plunger 720 may include oneor more side passages 721 which permit hydraulic fluid to flow betweenthe interior of the outer plunger 720 and the housing bore 712 of thehousing 710. The inner plunger spring 744 may be provided in theinterior of the outer plunger 720 to bias the inner plunger 760 upwardinto a position that results in the locking elements 780 engaging theouter recess 772, as shown in FIG. 27.

With continued reference to FIG. 27, a cap 730 may be connected to theupper end of the outer plunger 720. One or more heavy springs 850 mayact on the cap 730 to bias the housing 710 downward relative to theouter plunger 720. The one or more heavy springs 850 may assist inarresting the downward motion of the outer plunger 720 relative to thevalve body 710 when the two are unlocked from each other, as explainedin detail below.

The snubber shown in FIG. 27 includes a snubber piston 852 that may becup-shaped and have an upper opening 858 that permits hydraulic fluid toflow between the interior of the snubber piston 852 and the housing bore712. A spring 854 may bias the snubber piston 852 towards the outerplunger 720. The spring 854 may be connected to the snubber piston 852by a lock ring 856. The embodiment shown in FIG. 27 may also includesliding pins 650/750 for each of two valve stems.

During operation of the system illustrated in FIG. 27, an unlockinginput (e.g., hydraulic fluid) may be provided to displace the innerplunger 760 downward, as described above, to unlock the outer plunger720 from the housing 710. The descent of the inner plunger 760 into theinterior of the outer plunger 720 may cause some hydraulic fluid to bedisplaced from the interior of the outer plunger through the sideopening 721 and into the housing bore 712. At the same time, the outerplunger 720 may descend rapidly into the housing bore 712 toward thesnubber piston 852. As a result of the movement of the outer plunger 720and the inner plunger 760, hydraulic fluid may be forced through theopening 858 in the snubber piston 852, as well as out of the valve body710 through leakage passages.

Once the outer plunger 720 contacts the snubber piston 852, thecontinued downward motion of the outer plunger 720 may be progressivelyarrested by the snubber piston as a result of the snubber piston beingdisplaced downward by the outer plunger. More specifically, the locationand/or size of the opening 858 in the snubber piston 852 may be providedsuch that hydraulic communication between the interior of the snubberpiston 852 and the housing bore 712 of the valve bridge body 710 isselectively, and in some instances progressively, cut off. As a result,the snubber piston 852, in concert with the one or more heavy springs850, may cushion the downward movement of the outer plunger 720 relativeto the valve bridge body 710 when the two are unlocked from each other,as described in connection with the embodiments illustrated by FIGS.1-24.

A eighth alternative embodiment of a valve train component 600/700incorporating a lost motion system is illustrated in FIG. 28 in whichlike reference characters refer to like elements in other embodiments.The embodiment shown in FIG. 28 differs from that shown in FIG. 27mainly with respect to the location of the spring(s) used to bias theouter plunger 720 relative to the housing 710. In FIG. 28, a spring 860is provided within the housing 710 as opposed to above it. The spring860 biases the outer plunger 720 upward relative to the housing 710 andthe snubber piston 852.

During operation of the system illustrated in FIG. 28, hydraulic fluidmay be provided to displace the inner plunger 760 downward to unlock theouter plunger 720 from the housing 710. The descent of the inner plunger760 into the interior of the outer plunger 720 may cause some hydraulicfluid to be displaced from the interior of the outer plunger through theside opening 721 and into the housing bore 712. At the same time, theouter plunger 720 may descend rapidly into the housing bore 712 towardthe snubber piston 852. As a result of the movement of the outer plunger720 and the inner plunger 760, hydraulic fluid may be forced through theopening 858 in the snubber piston 852, as well as out of the housing 710through leakage passages.

In the embodiment of FIG. 28, movement of the snubber piston 852 iscontrolled in part the relative forces applied by the springs 860, 854.In particular, the springs 860, 854 engaging the snubber piston 852 areconfigured to have the same force at approximately the mid-stroke of theouter plunger 720 relative to the housing 710. As the outer plunger 720continues to descend within the housing 710, the force from the firstspring 860 increases to the point that it becomes greater than theopposing force applied by the second spring 854, thereby pushing thesnubber piston 852 downwards. The downwards velocity of the snubberpiston 852 is controlled by the force difference between the springs860, 854 and the hydraulic force due to pressure difference caused byoil flowing through the opening 858. Consequently, for a normal valveevent and in which the locking mechanism is already in an unlockedstate, downward travel of the outer plunger 720 will cause the snubberpiston 852 to reach the bottom of its stroke (i.e., abutting the bottomwall of the housing 710) prior to the outer plunger 720 reaching itsbottom-most position.

It can be anticipated, however, that there will be instances where thelocking mechanism will be switched from a locked state to an unlockedstate during a relatively high-lift valve event. In this case, the outerplunger 720 will release rapidly, thereby causing the first spring 860to likewise compress rapidly. As a consequence, there would beinsufficient time for the snubber piston 852 to travel downward to avoidimpact with the outer plunger 720. However, as the outer plunger 720contacts the snubber piston 852, it will obstruct the opening 858thereby further pressurizing the hydraulic fluid trapped by the snubberpiston 852. As described above relative to the other embodimentsdescribed herein, this results in a significant slowing force beingapplied to the outer plunger 720 that, in turn, prevents the furtherrapid collapse of the outer plunger 720 and resulting noise that wouldhave occurred without the presence of the snubber piston 852.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations andmodifications of the instant disclosure can be made without departingfrom the scope or spirit of the invention. For example, the means foractuating an exhaust valve to provide engine braking 100 and the meansfor actuating an intake valve to provide engine braking 300 may providenon-engine braking valve actuations in other applications.

In another example, various modifications to the locking elements andcorresponding outer recess may be used. For instance, in the case of awedge-type implementation, the inclined surfaces of the wedge and orouter recess may be defined according to a non-conical surface.Furthermore, rather than comprising an annular channel around the entirecircumference of the surface defining housing bore, the outer recesscould comprise one or more slots (otherwise unconnected to each other)configured to align with and receive respective ones of the one or morewedges. Alternatively, but in this same vein, the locking elements couldcomprise one or more pins received in corresponding holes alignedtherewith and formed in the surface defining housing bore.

In yet another example, while the various snubbers described aboveinclude snubber pistons and associated components, it may be possible toimplement a snubber based solely on the provision of designed leakagepassages between various ones of the components of the lockingmechanism, e.g., between the outer plunger and the housing. In thisfashion, the function of the snubber is provided solely by the flow ofhydraulic fluid through the clearance provided between the housing thelocking mechanism. Furthermore, while the various embodiments describedherein in which a locking mechanism is combined with a snubber have beendescribed in the context of a specific type of valve train component(i.e., a valve bridge), it is appreciated that such a lockingmechanism/snubber combination may be incorporated into any valve traincomponent, including the various other embodiments described herein.

While particular preferred embodiments have been shown and described,those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes and modificationsmay be made without departing from the instant teachings. It istherefore contemplated that any and all modifications, variations orequivalents of the above-described teachings fall within the scope ofthe basic underlying principles disclosed above and claimed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. In an internal combustion engine comprising avalve train for actuating one or more engine valves, a device forcontrolling motion applied to the one or more engine valves, comprising:an housing disposed within the valve train, the housing having anhousing bore extending into the housing and an outer recess formed in asurface defining the housing bore, the outer recess comprising an outerrecess inclined surface defined according to a cone frustum; and alocking mechanism disposed in the housing bore and comprising a wedge,the wedge comprising a wedge inclined surface defined according to thecone frustum and configured to mate with the outer recess inclinedsurface, wherein interaction of the wedge inclined surface with theouter recess inclined surface urges withdrawal of the wedge from theouter recess and unlocking of the locking mechanism thereby preventingapplication of motion to the one or more engine valves via the device.2. The device of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism furthercomprises: an outer plunger slidably disposed in the housing bore, saidouter plunger having an interior bore defining an outer plunger sidewall, and a side opening extending through the outer plunger side wall,wherein the wedge is disposed in the outer plunger side opening; and aninner plunger slidably disposed in the outer plunger interior bore, saidinner plunger having an inner recess formed therein configured toreceive the wedge.
 3. The device of claim 2, the outer plungercomprising an unlocking opening configured to receive an unlockinginput, wherein the unlocking input causes the inner plunger to slidewithin the outer plunger thereby permitting the wedge to be received inthe inner recess.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the unlockingopening is disposed at an end of the outer plunger and is configured toreceive hydraulic fluid as the unlocking input.
 5. The device of claim4, wherein the outer plunger is received in an open end of the housingbore and the unlocking opening is at an end of the outer plungerproximate the open end of the housing bore.
 6. The device of claim 3,wherein the housing comprises a lateral opening configured for fluidcommunication with the housing bore and the unlocking opening, andfurther configured to receive hydraulic fluid as the unlocking input. 7.The device of claim 2, further comprising: a snubber, disposed in thehousing bore between the outer plunger and the housing, configured toprogressively arrest movement of the outer plunger.
 8. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the housing is provided by a valve bridge, a rockerarm, a push tube or a cam follower.
 9. The device of claim 1, whereinthe housing is provided between a push tube and a rocker arm or betweenthe rocker arm and an engine valve.
 10. The device of claim 9, whereinthe housing is a cartridge insert configured for mounting on either thepush tube or the rocker arm.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein theouter recess has a vertical height greater than a vertical height of thewedge.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the outer recess has avertical height not greater than twice the vertical height of the wedge.13. The device of claim 11, wherein the outer recess has a verticalheight greater than twice the vertical height of the wedge.
 14. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the wedge comprises a second wedge inclinedsurface defined according to the cone frustum, the second wedge inclinedsurface disposed on a side of the wedge opposite the wedge inclinedsurface.
 15. In an internal combustion engine comprising a valve trainfor actuating one or more engine valves, a device for controlling motionapplied to the one or more engine valves, comprising: an housingdisposed within the valve train, the housing having an housing boreextending into the housing; a locking mechanism disposed in the housingbore, a locked state of the locking mechanism permitting application ofmotion to the one or more engine valves via the device and an unlockedstate of the locking mechanism preventing application of motion to theone or more engine valves via the device; and a snubber, disposed in thehousing bore between the locking mechanism and the housing and incommunication with the locking mechanism, configured to progressivelyarrest movement of at least a portion of the locking mechanism.
 16. Thedevice of claim 15, wherein the locking mechanism comprises anhydraulically-actuated locking mechanism.
 17. The device of claim 16,wherein the snubber is in fluid communication with thehydraulically-actuated locking mechanism.
 18. The device of claim 15,wherein the locking mechanism further comprises: an outer plungerslidably disposed in the housing bore, said outer plunger having aninterior bore defining an outer plunger side wall, and a side openingextending through the outer plunger side wall; an inner plunger slidablydisposed in the outer plunger interior bore, said inner plunger havingan inner recess formed therein; and a locking element disposed in theside opening of the outer plunger side wall, wherein the locking elementis configured to engage an outer recess formed in a surface defining thehousing bore, and wherein the inner recess is configured to receive thelocking element.
 19. The device of claim 18, wherein the locking elementcomprises a wedge.
 20. The device of claim 18, the outer plungercomprising an unlocking opening configured to receive an unlockinginput, wherein the unlocking input causes the inner plunger to slidewithin the outer plunger thereby permitting the wedge to be received inthe inner recess.
 21. The device of claim 20, wherein the unlockingopening is disposed at an end of the outer plunger and is configured toreceive hydraulic fluid as the unlocking input.
 22. The device of claim21, wherein the outer plunger is received in an open end of the housingbore and the unlocking opening is at an end of the outer plungerproximate the open end of the housing bore.
 23. The device of claim 20,wherein the housing comprises a lateral opening configured for fluidcommunication with the housing bore and the unlocking opening, andfurther configured to receive hydraulic fluid as the unlocking input.24. The device of claim 18, wherein the snubber comprises a snubberpiston disposed on the outer plunger.
 25. The device of claim 15,wherein the housing is provided by a valve bridge, a rocker arm, a pushtube or a cam follower.
 26. The device of claim 15, wherein the housingis provided between a push tube and a rocker arm or between the rockerarm and an engine valve.
 27. The device of claim 26, wherein the housingis a cartridge insert configured for mounting on either the push tube orthe rocker arm.
 28. The device of claim 15, wherein the snubbercomprises a snubber piston disposed in the housing bore.
 29. The deviceof claim 28, wherein the snubber piston is cup-shaped and includes oneor more side passages extending through a wall of the snubber piston.30. The device of claim 28, further comprising a check valve disposedwithin the snubber piston.
 31. The device of claim 15, wherein thesnubber is provided by flow of hydraulic fluid through a clearancebetween the locking mechanism and the housing.
 32. In an internalcombustion engine comprising a valve train for actuating one or moreengine valves, a device for controlling motion applied to the one ormore engine valves, comprising: an housing disposed within the valvetrain, the housing having a housing bore extending into the housing andan outer recess formed in a surface defining the housing bore; and alocking mechanism disposed in the housing bore and comprising a lockingelement, wherein the locking element engages the outer recess in alocked state of the locking mechanism thereby permitting application ofmotion to one or more engine valves via the device, wherein the outerrecess is configured to permit movement of the locking element along alongitudinal axis of the housing bore when the locking element engagesthe outer recess.
 33. The device of claim 32, wherein the outer recesshas a vertical height greater than a vertical height of the lockingelement.
 34. The device of claim 33, wherein the outer recess has avertical height not greater than twice the vertical height of thelocking element.
 35. The device of claim 33, wherein the outer recesshas a vertical height greater than twice the vertical height of thelocking element.
 36. The device of claim 32, wherein the locking elementcomprises a wedge.
 37. The device of claim 32, wherein the lockingmechanism further comprises: an outer plunger slidably disposed in thehousing bore, said outer plunger having an interior bore defining anouter plunger side wall, and a side opening extending through the outerplunger side wall; an inner plunger slidably disposed in the outerplunger interior bore, said inner plunger having an inner recess formedtherein; and wherein locking element disposed in the side opening of theouter plunger side wall, and wherein the inner recess is configured toreceive the locking element.
 38. The device of claim 37, the outerplunger comprising an unlocking opening configured to receive anunlocking input, wherein the unlocking input causes the inner plunger toslide within the outer plunger thereby permitting the locking element tobe received in the inner recess.
 39. The device of claim 38, wherein theunlocking opening is disposed at an end of the outer plunger and isconfigured to receive hydraulic fluid as the unlocking input.
 40. Thedevice of claim 39, wherein the outer plunger is received in an open endof the housing bore and the unlocking opening is at an end of the outerplunger proximate the open end of the housing bore.
 41. The device ofclaim 38, wherein the housing comprises a lateral opening configured forfluid communication with the housing bore and the unlocking opening, andfurther configured to receive hydraulic fluid as the unlocking input.42. The device of claim 32, wherein the housing is provided by a valvebridge, a rocker arm, a push tube or a cam follower.
 43. The device ofclaim 32, wherein the housing is provided between a push tube and arocker arm or between the rocker arm and an engine valve.
 44. The deviceof claim 43, wherein the housing is a cartridge insert configured formounting on either the push tube or the rocker arm.